


Double Trouble

by RidiculouslyOverObsessed



Series: Vampire Hunters Incorporated [8]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, bechloe - Freeform, staubrey - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29514165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RidiculouslyOverObsessed/pseuds/RidiculouslyOverObsessed
Summary: When Gail's latest diabolical plan is put into motion it promises to leave no member of the team unscathed. Can they work out what's going before it's too late to save each other and themselves?
Relationships: Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell, Stacie Conrad/Aubrey Posen
Series: Vampire Hunters Incorporated [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1978699
Comments: 36
Kudos: 24





	1. PART ONE: Seeing Double

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't leave you guys waiting too long after the cliffhanger on that last one, but this is going to be a 2 parter so you won't have all the answers yet ;) I kind of love this one, I've had the idea for a while so I'm excited I finally got to get it down!
> 
> Thanks to RJ for being awesome and always reading over my stuff
> 
> You can find me @ridiculously-over-obsessed on Tumblr for updates, sneak peaks and edits of this series and some of my other stuff too!

It was the early hours of the morning when a noise woke Chloe up. It wasn’t a particularly loud or startling noise, but it was enough to stir Chloe from her sleep. She sat up, wondering for a moment if she should wake Beca, but after yesterday’s ordeal she decided to just leave her to it (Beca was an unusually deep sleeper for a vampire). Quietly, Chloe slid out of their bed, adjusting her t-shirt as she ran a hand through her hair. It would have to be a brave burglar that tried to rob two vampires. Light on her feet, Chloe stepped into the living room on high alert. Nothing could have prepared her for what was waiting for her.

“Oh jeez, you scared me! You’re really quiet!”

Sat on Chloe’s sofa was… well, _her_. The woman on her couch was the spitting image of her, it was like looking in a mirror.

“What the he-” Chloe started, but before she could get out a complete sentence she felt her whole body freeze, and she realised all too late that she’d walked into a trap.

“Shhh, you don’t want to wake the World’s Shortest Vampire now do you? She’s had such a long day…” Gail stepped out of the shadows with a malevolent smirk on her face, hand flexed at the standing redhead, “Did you miss me Red?”

Chloe felt a chill run down her spine at the return of the black magic witch in her life. She wanted to fight, to respond with something snarky, to do anything, but she was totally powerless under the witch’s spell. She silently begged Beca to wake up and come rescue her.

“Oh, you can’t respond to that, silly me.” Gail chuckled, stroking the side of the frozen Chloe’s face with her free hand, “She’s incredible isn’t she?” Gail rested her hands on Chloe’s shoulders from behind as she looked at the doppelganger that sat on the couch, “Took me months to create her, you should see the versions that came before her uck…”

Gail sighed a little, seeming annoyed, “This is not as much fun if you can’t answer me… hang on.” Gail waved her hand almost lazily at the room around them, before tracing her fingers down Chloe’s throat.

Chloe took the opportunity in the vain hope that Gail had forgotten about Beca in the next room, “Beca!” She screamed, unable to turn her head to see if Beca had heard.

“Oh sweetie.” Gail chuckled, “Give me some credit. There’s a silence spell on the apartment, she can’t hear you.”

“What do you want?” Chloe growled, trying desperately to keep the fear out of her voice.

“You girls are becoming a real thorn in my side and after you buried me alive in a shallow grave I figured you weren’t that fond of me either.” Gail smirked as she stepped around Chloe, leaning on the back of the sofa and stroking the doppelgangers head, “So I decided that it was time I took care of you once and for all. That hexed bracelet fell through, so I knew once I had my full powers back I needed something bigger.”

“That’s me! Right?” Doppelganger Chloe turned to Gail with a quizzical look on her face, so perfectly matching Chloe’s own it made the frozen vampire’s stomach churn.

“Yes sweet thing, that’s you.” Gail purred, stroking her hair.

“They’ll know that’s not me.” Chloe was trying to convince herself more than Gail at this point, “They’re my family, they’ll know.”

Gail smirked cruelly, “Honey that sunny optimism may have gotten you this far, but we’ll soon knock that out of you. Y’see, this plan is great for two reasons, one…” Gail held up a finger, “I get to bring down your precious family from the inside and make you watch as someone who looks exactly like you is responsible for it.” Gail held up a second finger, “And two, I get to break Rebecca using the thing that she loves the most in the world.”

“It won’t work.” Chloe repeated, voice shaking a little as her resolve started to falter. Gail had spent months pulling all of this together, and the doppelganger sat in front of her was terrifyingly accurate down to the most minute details.

“We should get going.” Gail sighed happily, “I want you to get settled in honey.” Gail gave the doppelganger a sickening smile as she kissed her forehead, “God look at me getting emotional, this must be how parents feel dropping their kids off at college.”

“Mommm…” Doppelganger Chloe rolled her eyes, as the frozen vampire felt bile rise in the back of her throat. It was sickening watching herself like this around Gail, even if that wasn’t really her.

“I’m sorry, I’ll stop embarrassing you now.” Gail moved from the back of the sofa to where Chloe stood frozen and helpless, “You and I are going to have some fun Red, I’ll introduce to a friend of mine too. Oh!” Gail’s eyes had fallen upon the engagement ring on Chloe’s finger and she chuckled cruelly, “Oh this is too good!”

Chloe could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to shake off the spell. No. She wasn’t taking this from her. Gail wasn’t going to use this against Beca. No.

“I don’t think our dear Rebecca has ever been this smitten with someone before. Looks like my timing couldn’t have been better.” Gail deliberately took her time in sliding the ring off Chloe’s finger, reveling in the pain she could see in Chloe’s eyes as she was powerless to stop her.

“Here sweetie, you’d better put this on.” Gail held the ring up for the doppelganger as Chloe felt anger rise inside her.

“Ooo awes!” Doppelganger Chloe beamed, “This is so cute, Becs has great taste.”

“You fucking bitch, she’ll see through you in an instant.” Chloe spat, tears welling at the corner of her eyes.

“Beca loves me…” The doppelganger had tears in the corner of her own eyes, looking genuinely hurt, “She saved my life, she’s amazing and beautiful, I love her so much.”

“You’re a cheap copy.” Chloe’s voice was shaking as she growled at her through gritted teeth, “She’ll see straight through you, they all will.”

“Mom…” The doppelganger turned to Gail, the sad puppy dog looking creepily akin to Chloe’s own, “She’s awful, why would she say these things?”

“Ignore her my darling, she’s just jealous, I think we’ve heard quite enough from her.” Gail’s hand rested on Chloe’s throat as she moved behind, her grip on it tightening. Chloe might not breathe anymore but that didn’t mean that the gesture was any less threatening or uncomfortable, “We’ll let you make yourself at home baby, have fun okay?”

“Of course!” Doppelganger Chloe beamed, “You too!”

“Oh believe me…” Gail sneered as her hand grew even tighter around Chloe’s throat, the redhead terrified, a chill running down her spine at the thought of what was to come, “This is going to be the most fun I’ve had in centuries.”

With that Gail apparated out of the apartment with a helpless Chloe in her grasp. The doppelganger sighed happily as she looked around her, finally deciding to head to bed. She climbed in next to Beca and kissed her gently, the brunette grumbling a little as she stirred.

“Sorry.” Chloe giggled lightly, “I got up to pee and you just looked so pretty lying there…”

Beca’s eyes opened sleepily as she smiled softly, “It’s a good job you’re cute y’know?”

Chloe giggled lightly again, “You’re pretty cute yourself.”

“I love you weirdo.” Beca mumbled as she snuggled close to the imposter in her bed.

“I love you too Becs.” Chloe wrapped her arms around the brunette, drifting into an easy sleep.

* * *

The real Chloe could only watch with tears in her eyes as the love of her life cuddled the stranger closer. Gail had conjured some kind of visual bubble, similar to the one she had used to trick Beca in the abandoned slaughterhouse and was stood behind her smirking cruelly as she watched both Chloe and the scene before them.

“What was that you were saying about half pint seeing straight through it?” She asked, hands on Chloe’s shoulders as the vampire stood frozen, still under the witch’s spell, “She seems pretty oblivious to me…”

“She’s half asleep.” Chloe’s voice with thick with the tears she was holding back. No way was she letting Gail break her, “She’ll figure it out tomorrow, and then she’ll come find me and this time I’m not gonna pull her off you when she’s ripping you to shreds.”

“You’re adorable.” Gail stroked Chloe’s cheek as she stepped around her, “Did Rebecca ever tell you about the fun we used to have when she first turned?”

Gail waved a hand at Chloe who found herself on her knees with a painful crash, totally at the mercy of the witch. There was no doubt that Gail was back at her full strength now.

“Her scars leave little to the imagination.” Chloe spat, trying to ignore the pain in her knees and the fear that had an icy cold grip on her stomach. Beca had never talked about it in any detail, but there were long scars all over the short brunette’s petite body that made Chloe’s chest ache with the thought of the pain that Beca must have been through to get them.

“It takes a lot to scar a vampire…” Gail mused as she waved her hand again, Chloe hurtling backwards and colliding painfully with a post behind her, the redhead unable to help the cry of pain that escaped her lips as she did, “Considering how quickly you heal. But where there’s a will, there’s me.”

Chloe glowered at Gail, not saying a word as she tried to keep a handle on the fear that was running icy cold through her veins as the witch stepped slowly towards her.

“You don’t scare me.” Chloe wished her voice weren’t shaking a little as she eventually spoke, “I’m stronger than you. You won’t break me.”

“Yes I will.” Gail grinned cruelly, “And I’ll have great fun doing it. But not without a little help from a friend of mine. John! Bring those chains in will you? I want both my hands free for this.”

“That is exactly what you said last night Gail!” John was wearing an equally cruel grin that sent shivers down Chloe’s spine, swinging the end of the chain as he handed it to Gail.

He walked over to Chloe and pulled her roughly to her feet as Gail released the spell. The young vampire struggled against him but it was as futile as fighting against Gail’s incantation, the older man far stronger than he appeared to be and he laughed at her attempts to fight him.

“What is it with redhead’s and their feistiness? Remember that one in the sixties from that Ban The Bomb rally? For a pacifist she had a mean right hook.” John mused as he pinned Chloe against the post behind her, Gail laughing fondly at the memory as the chains moved from her hand like a snake and coiled it’s way tightly around Chloe’s ankles, her waist, her shoulder, and then her wrists.

Chloe grunted as the chains dug into her, rendered immobile and powerless again, and hating every minute of it. She’d always felt that out of the four of them she was the weakest; she was way younger than Beca and hadn’t had the chance to hone her strength and vampire powers, she didn’t have enhanced strength and a natural ability with weapons that Aubrey had, nor did she have the magical powers that Stacie did. But being powerless like this, being on her own and feeling helpless? Chloe thought that she’d moved beyond this since that night with Chicago. She didn’t go down without a fight that night, she wasn’t about to go down now.

“I think it’s time we had some fun John, don’t you?” Gail cupped Chloe’s cheek in her hand, the redhead pulling away sharply with a growl, trying to put on a tough front.

Gail simply chuckled as she waved a hand lazily, Chloe biting her lip hard to suppress the scream of pain that shot to her throat as it felt like fire was shooting through her veins.

_‘Please Beca… please realise that isn’t me… I need you.’_

* * *

Beca woke up to the smell of bacon and frowned softly as she realised she was in the bed alone. Sitting up a little, she rubbed at her eyes, trying to wake herself up a little. She was still feeling a little off after the whole Cupid incident if truth be told, but the smell of food was too appealing to pass up. Beca grinned as Chloe walked in with a plate in either hand, a grin on her own face as she did.

“I could get used to you waking me up with breakfast in bed.” Beca raised an eyebrow as she took one plate from Chloe, her fiancée clambering back into the bed next to her with a chuckle.

“I am making no such promises, it’s very rare we get time to ourselves like this.” Chloe rested her head on Beca’s shoulder as the brunette huffed.

“Unfortunately, so true. Do you think Posen will give us the day off today, or will she drag us into the office to fight evil again?” Beca mumbled through a mouthful of food. Technically neither of them needed to eat, but it was nice to do something that was human and felt… well normal.

“I guess it depends how Stacie’s feeling I guess?” Chloe shrugged, “She doesn’t heal as quickly as you do. How _are_ you feeling today?”

“I’m okay.” Beca smiled softly, “I still have a bit of a headache and my wrists hurt a little still.”

“I’m sorry baby.” Chloe pouted, lifting one of Beca’s hands so she could kiss the fading bruises on her wrist softly, “I feel awful for tying you up like that.”

“You did what you had to do, I know that.” Beca reassured her, kissing the top of her head, “Besides it meant that you could save my life and I am _definitely_ okay with that.”

Chloe giggled softly as she snuggled closer, playing with the ring on her finger, “I love this Beca. I can’t wait to marry you.”

“You weirdo.” Beca rolled her eyes as she wrapped her arm around Chloe’s shoulder’s, “You’d spend eternity with me anyway.”

“True.” Chloe chuckled, “But I like the idea of having a fancy ceremony with our family. It’ll be fun, and romantic, and you’ll look so beautiful…”

Beca just rolled her eyes as she leant down to kiss Chloe, “I love you, you know that right?”

Chloe grinned as she pulled away from the kiss, “Of course I do. I love you too.”

Beca’s phone bleeped as the brunette sighed, reaching for it as Chloe grumbled softly, trying to hug her tighter as the vampire reached for her phone.

“So much for a day off…” Beca grumbled, “We’ve got a case. Once the sun goes down we’ll head out.”

“But I wanna stay here…” Chloe pouted as she wound her arms tightly around Beca’s waist.

“I know.” Beca chuckled, “But the forces of evil don’t seem to care about our snuggle schedule.”

“Do you ever think about giving it all up? Maybe just move to Europe and spend eternity in all the most romantic places in the world, just the two of us?” Chloe mused as she sighed softly, resting her head on Beca’s shoulder again.

Beca frowned softly, “Where’s this coming from? I thought you liked working with Aubrey and Stacie?”

“I do, I love it!” Chloe smiled warmly as lifted her head to look at Beca, “We have so much fun and we do great work, but… sometimes I wonder what it would be like if we weren’t spending all our time protecting humanity.”

“I mean… it might be nice to explore all those places with you. I’ve always wanted to go to Italy… but until we’ve taken care of Chicago’s sires and Gail, we’ll always be looking over our shoulders and I don’t want that for you. I spent nearly two hundred years on the run from that bitch and her minions, the last thing I want is for you to have to do that too.” Beca tucked a lock of hair behind Chloe’s ear as she smiled softly.

Chloe pulled a face as she sighed softly, “I know… I wish it was easier sometimes that’s all.”

“I know baby. And it will be, someday.” Beca promised, kissing Chloe softly.

* * *

Aubrey smiled warmly as Chloe and Beca entered the office, Stacie setting down cups of coffee and files for them all.

“Hey Mitchell. You feeling better?” Aubrey asked.

“I thought we weren’t going to talk about it again? Ever.” Beca smirked as she raised an eyebrow, “But seeing as though you asked, I am feeling way better than yesterday. How about you Stace, you okay?”

“I slept for like eleven hours, I’m great!” Stacie laughed, “Still got a niggle of headache, but that aside I’m back on top of my game.”

“Well that’s good news, doesn’t sound like the Other Realm is giving us any more to recover.” Chloe smiled as she sat next to Beca, hand resting on her arm.

“Yeah they seem to have zero respect for what’s going on in our lives, it’s very annoying.” Stacie mused as Aubrey rolled her eyes, settling next to Stacie.

“Right, well before we get onto the topic of the very nasty vampire nest that needs dealing with, Stacie and I have some news.” Aubrey grinned at Stacie who gave her hand a soft squeeze as she smiled back, “We’re moving in together.”

“Bree that’s amazing!” Chloe squealed as she got up and threw her arms around Aubrey and hugged her tightly as Beca grinned.

“We don’t have to help with the actual moving right? Y’know with all your spells and stuff there’s no heavy lifting needed right?” Beca asked as Stacie rolled her eyes heavily with a smirk.

“No Beca, there’s no heavy lifting involved.” Stacie shook her head.

“Then I am delighted for you. Congrats dude, seriously, I’m really happy for you guys.” Beca fondly and gently punched Stacie in the shoulder as the witch grinned.

Aubrey pulled back from her hug with Chloe, going to give her hands a soft squeeze but pausing as she felt Chloe’s engagement ring press into her palm.

“Wait.” A wide grin spread across Aubrey’s face as she lifted Chloe’s hand for a better look at the ring, “You guys got engaged?! When?!”

Chloe beamed widely, biting her lip a little as Stacie scrambled out of her chair to get a better look. Beca got up too, winding her arms around Chloe’s waist and kissed her cheek.

“The night before Valentines.” Beca grinned, “It wasn’t a big deal, I just knew the likelihood of me getting to propose on Valentines was very slim if the last few months were anything to go by.”

“Not a big deal?” Chloe raised an eyebrow as she turned her head to look at Beca, “It was super romantic.” She captured Beca’s lips in hers, Beca for once not minding the public display of affection.

“You guys, this is huge, I’m so happy for you.” Stacie was beaming as she first hugged Chloe and then Beca, ignoring the protests of the brunette vampire.

“Okay, this definitely needs exploring more, I want to know everything.” Aubrey grinned, “But unfortunately, this vampire nest in Brooklyn can’t wait, they’re wreaking havoc.”

“God when will these Other Realm dicks realise that we just want one week off from having to deal with their shenanigans?” Beca groaned, Chloe giggling as they all settled in for the briefing.

* * *

Gale wiped a smear of blood from her cheek with the back of her hand, smirking at the redhead who was still chained to the post. Chloe was shaking, covered in shallow cuts and dark bruises, exhausted and in agony as she fought to maintain consciousness. She was not going to let Gail and John win. She couldn’t.

“Well I’ll give you this Red, you’re stronger than you look.” Gail chuckled, admiring her handiwork.

“I thought for sure that last constriction charm would have her screaming the place down.” John mused as he sent down the knife in his hand, “This is going to be even more fun than I thought it would be.”

“You won’t break me.” Chloe grunted, lifting her head with a wince to glower at the pair, swallowing hard.

“Oh sweetie, we’re just getting started.” Gail laughed, sighing happily as she flopped dramatically into a nearby chair, “John, be a dear and go get me something to eat will you?”

“Of course, I need a snack too.” John smirked, whistling as he exited the room.

“Let’s see how your little friends are doing shall we? See if they’ve seen straight through my ‘cheap copy’ yet.” Gail waved a hand as she summoned another ball of light that allowed Chloe to see her friends in that moment.

_“Wait.” A wide grin spread across Aubrey’s face as she lifted Chloe’s hand for a better look at the ring, “You guys got engaged?! When?!”_

_Chloe beamed widely, biting her lip a little as Stacie scrambled out of her chair to get a better look. Beca got up too, winding her arms around Chloe’s waist and kissed her cheek._

_“The night before Valentines.” Beca grinned, “It wasn’t a big deal, I just knew the likelihood of me getting to propose on Valentines was very slim if the last few months were anything to go by.”_

_“Not a big deal?” Chloe raised an eyebrow as she turned her head to look at Beca, “It was super romantic.” She captured Beca’s lips in hers, Beca for once not minding the public display of affection._

_“You guys, this is huge, I’m so happy for you.” Stacie was beaming as she first hugged Chloe and then Beca, ignoring the protests of the brunette vampire._

Chloe felt like someone had ripped out her heart and stomped on it. This was far more painful than anything that Gail or John had put her through. That was her family embracing an imposter, and they were falling for it. Oh god, they were falling for it. No. No this was all a trick. She did this to Beca, she made her believe that they were all dead. They knew it wasn’t her. They _had_ to.

“Oh this is perfect.” Gail laughed cruelly, “They are lapping this up! Tell me they’ll see right through it again, I love it when you say that.”

Chloe said nothing, letting her head rest against the post behind her as she fought back tears. She was not going to let Gail trick her like this, and she was certainly not going to let Gail see that she was getting to her a little bit.

“Y’know, you fascinate me Red.” Gail got to her feet again, stepping around Chloe slowly and deliberately, caressing her cheek as she did so, “Vampire’s are never this sunny and upbeat. Not even when they embrace their nature like they’re supposed to. I wonder…”

Gail stood in front of Chloe for a moment, a thoughtful look on her face as she paused. She locked eyes with Chloe, smiling as she plunged her hand deep into Chloe’s abdomen. Chloe gasped as it felt like someone was crushing her chest, suddenly feeling the need to breathe for the first time in months and being completely unable to. She felt like Gail was trying to rearrange her organs, to turn her inside out.

“Aha, I thought so.” Gail seemed to have found what it was she was looking for and pulled her hand from Chloe, holding in it something that looked like glowing golden silk that hung out of the redhead’s abdomen, “You know what this is?”

Chloe was struggling to focus as it felt like her whole body was on fire, panting as she tried to find the breath that she didn’t even need; she was in agony.

“Hey, c’mon.” Gail used her free hand to grip Chloe’s chin hard, pulling her into focus, “This is important, it’s something even I didn’t know.”

Chloe grunted as the tight grin on her chin cut through all the other pain she was feeling, eyes helplessly locked with the witch’s as she held her under some kind of trance.

“This is your soul.” Gail smirked, hand tightening around the silk like substance in her hand as Chloe couldn’t help the cry of pain that left her lips. This was like no other pain she had ever experienced, “Now, normally when a human is turned into a vampire this thing? It disappears. But you? You’ve still got yours. It’s fascinating. Hey, hey!”

Gail shook Chloe’s head that was still gripped tight in her hand as the redhead’s eyes started to roll back in her head, the pain making her head swim, making it harder and harder to keep her grip on consciousness.

“You have to listen to this.” Gail chastised her, “You see, my party trick is getting a vampire to retain their soul as they’re turned, it’s pure agony, honestly there’s nothing better. Anyway, our dear Rebecca still has hers, but what I _didn’t_ know because she has been a complete _bore_ for the last two centuries and hasn’t turned anyone until you, is that when a vampire with a soul turns a human, that human retains their soul too, but with a big difference.”

Gail was practically squealing in excitement at this apparently new information, taking a pause to twist Chloe’s soul in her hand and revelling as it forced a scream of agony from Chloe. This was definitely far more entertaining than she had hoped it would be.

“Rebecca’s soul is this gooey, black thing… you know that slime crap that kids are obsessed with? It’s like that, and that’s how it looks when you force something this pure into an inherently evil being. But yours? Oh, yours is intact and I don’t know how… but it’s no problem. I can fix that for you.”

With this, Gail released her grip on Chloe’s soul and it quickly retreated back inside of Chloe, the wound that it had been pulled through sealing behind it. Chloe let out a deep shuddering breath as the pain began to dissipate, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. Gail stroked the side of Chloe’s face again, the redhead too exhausted to fight her anymore as the fiery intense pain was replaced with a dull relentless throb.

“I think we’re done for a little while.” Gail mused with a cruel smirk, “I’m not going to break you too quickly, where would be the fun in that? But this new information has given me a few ideas, I’m very excited about all this.”

Gail left the room, leaving Chloe alone as the chains around her shoulders and waist loosened and she collapsed to the floor. Chloe let out a sob as she lay on the floor, wrists and ankles still bound tight. She didn’t know if she was strong enough to survive this. She wasn’t Beca, or Aubrey, or Stacie… she was just Chloe. She was the weak link of the group that could so easily be replaced, so how on earth was she going to withstand any more of this?

“Becs… please…” Chloe wept as she felt her grip on consciousness slip away from her, “That isn’t me, you know it isn’t me, you have to… please.”

* * *

Vampire Hunters Incorporated were existing in a little bubble of domestic bliss ever since they had hit milestones in their relationships. It had been three days since they had shared their news with each other and Stacie was now completely moved in with Aubrey (with a minor amount of heavy lifting that Beca had protested about no end at the time). That didn’t mean it had been a quiet three days, not by any stretch of the imagination. The Other Realm had seemed to have kicked itself into high gear, and they had barely had the chance to sleep, never mind have any kind of conversation about the good news in their lives. Aubrey had been forced to take on more than one case a night, a combination of vampire nests and strange disturbances that were leaving them all exhausted.

“Is that all of them?” Aubrey panted, tucking a lock of hair that had come loose from her ponytail in the tussle behind her ear. This was the fourth nest they had taken out in three nights, and the second that they had cleared that night.

“Yeah I think we’re good.” Beca nodded, offering a hand out to Stacie who had been knocked to the floor by the vampire that the short brunette had just staked, “You okay?” She asked the witch.

“Yeah I’m good.” Stacie grinned, wincing a little as she held her side, “I think that last one cracked a few ribs though…”

Aubrey frowned as she walked over to Stacie, “Are you sure you’re okay?” She asked as she ran a hand through Stacie’s hair.

“I’m sure.” Stacie promised, pressing her cheek against the palm of Aubrey’s hand with a soft smile, “Besides I’ve got magic healing powers, I’ll be all fixed up in like ten minutes. C’mon, let’s get back to the office for the debrief so I can go sink into a bath… I’m gonna be sore tomorrow after that.” Stacie slid her hand into Aubrey’s as they exited the warehouse.

Chloe and Beca were ahead of them as they walked out into the cool night air. Beca looked over her shoulder at the two of them, Stacie smiling softly as Aubrey whispered something in her ear. Chloe moved closer to Beca, taking her hand in hers as she enjoyed the walk back in the cool night air.

Once back at the office, Chloe headed in through the door first, her friends close behind her. She turned to them, opening her mouth to say something but frowning softly as she looked at them. All three of them had serious and stern looks on their face, Beca’s jaw tight and nostrils flaring as she tried to contain her anger.

“Is everything okay?” Chloe asked, an eyebrow raised.

Stacie flicked her hands towards Chloe, the redhead gasping as her arms were pinned behind her back, eyes wide in shock.

“Stace, what the hell?” Chloe exclaimed, “Becs what’s going on?!”

“Don’t you dare call me that.” Beca growled, “You’re lucky I don’t rip your fucking throat out. Now where. Is. Chloe?”


	2. PART TWO: Blurring the Line

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part two took me way longer than I thought it would, sorry about that... also it accidentally turned into a three parter because it was longer than I thought it would be, so the third part is written but I'll post that on Friday night just in time for the weekend!
> 
> Thanks to RJ for being her usual amazing self

_It had been a long three days, and Beca had been on edge the entire time. Something was off. This much Other Realm activity in such a short time span, it had to be a cover for something huge. None of it had been anything significant, just… distractions. And then there was Chloe. Something was different. She looked the same, she sounded the same but… when Beca kissed Chloe, it felt wrong somehow. Beca had kissed Chloe a hundred thousand times in the last several months, she had memorised the way her lips felt against hers, the way Chloe shifted her body against hers, the way that Chloe tasted. But ever since Valentines, nothing seemed right, and Beca couldn’t shake the feeling that the woman in her bed wasn’t Chloe._

_“Something is wrong Aubrey, I’m telling you…” Beca frowned. She pulled the Vampire Hunter to one side whilst Stacie and Chloe were putting away a large stack of books, “That’s not Chloe.”_

_“What do you mean?” Aubrey looked confused as she glanced over at her best friend, “Of course that’s Chloe.”_

_“No…” Beca shook her head, “There’s something wrong, there’s something off about her and I can’t put my finger on it. She… she tastes different.” Beca blushed furiously as Aubrey pulled a disgusted face._

_“Okay that is officially too much information.” Aubrey mumbled, trying to shake the images from her head._

_“Not like that, god.” Beca quickly back pedalled, “When I kiss her… something tastes different Aubrey, it feels different.”_

_“Beca. You just fought off a powerful poison, this could just be a side effect of that.” Aubrey smiled softly, “She seems exactly the same to me. But if something is bothering you about this, then… I’ll keep an eye on her.”_

_“I’m telling you, that’s not Chloe. Something is wrong here and it’s got Gail written all over it.” Beca sighed frustratedly._

_“Beca if you’re wrong about this and you go mad at her over this you could lose Chloe for good. If this is Gail, then we’ll figure it out, but you need more than just a gut feeling on this.” Aubrey’s tone was firm but kind. She was far fonder of Beca than she ever thought she’d be, and the idea of her doing something that would risk her relationship with Chloe made her heart ache._

_“But-” Beca protested._

_“Give it a couple of days. I’ll keep an eye on her too. I want us all to be sure before we do anything about it.” Aubrey had put her foot down on the matter and Beca knew that however frustrating it was, the blonde was right._

_“Fine.” Beca sighed, “But there’s definitely something off here.”_

_Aubrey had watched and she had to admit there was something a little… weird about Chloe lately. She couldn’t put her finger on exactly what it was, but something in the way that the redhead approached the Other Realm creatures seemed different. It was two days after her conversation with Beca that Aubrey started to seriously consider what the vampire had said was right. They were tackling the first of two vamp nests that night, one that happened to be run by Lucy, on of Chicago’s sires that they had been hunting for months. They had taken out the low-level vampires with ease, but Lucy had managed to slip away, and the person that she’d been fighting with? Chloe._

_“Where’s Lucy?” Aubrey asked, wiping blood from her cheek as she looked around at the felled bodies of the vampires around them._

_“She got away…” Chloe panted, clutching her side and sporting a bust lip that was already starting to heal thanks to the vampire’s quick healing abilities, “I’m sorry, she was too strong for me.”_

_Aubrey frowned a little. When she’d looked over to check briefly on Chloe before another vampire had required her attention, it looked the redhead was easily a match for her. The Chloe she knew certainly was._

_“Oh.” Aubrey forced a small smile, “That’s okay Chlo, these things happen. We’ll get her next time.”_

_As they had headed out of the nest, Aubrey quietly sidled up to Beca, “I think you’re right. There’s no way that Chloe isn’t a match for Lucy. She’s the youngest of Chicago’s sires, it should have been an easy take down.”_

_Beca nodded, “I was trying to get to them but those twins got in my way. I swear the last time I saw Chloe before we were finished she had Lucy pinned to the ground… you think she let her get away?”_

_“I do.” Aubrey’s expression was hard, “But I can’t prove it. I’ll see if Stacie or Hunter saw anything but I doubt it. But there’s definitely something going on here. When we get back I’ll get Stacie to restrain her just in case and we can ask some questions…”_

_A whispered word in Stacie’s ear as they left the second nest was all it took to get her on board. She too had thought something was a little off lately, and as she kept the soft smile on her face so as not to give anything away she mumbled back to Aubrey._

_“Something is definitely off with her. You really think it’s an imposter?”_

_“I think so. Beca’s convinced of it, she’s been keeping up appearances the last few days but… she’s adamant that it isn’t Chloe.” Aubrey whispered, eyes flitting to Chloe to make sure they weren’t being overheard._

_“You sure about this? Because if we’re wrong…” Stacie warned softly._

_“I know. Chloe is very forgiving, but I think even she’ll have a hard time getting over the fact that we accused her of being an imposter.” Aubrey sighed softly, “If it isn’t her then where is she? Because this level of magic and mindfuckery has to be Gail and… god I should have done something when Beca first said something, if she’s been with Gail this whole time…”_

_“You can’t think like that.” Stacie gave Aubrey’s hand a tight squeeze, “You had to be sure. Gail’s magic goes beyond what even I can comprehend and this has clearly been in the works for months. If this is an imposter, then we’ll find Chloe, we’ll bring her home I promise.”_

* * *

“You’re lucky I don’t rip your throat out. Now where. Is. Chloe?”

Stood here looking at the thing that was pretending to be the woman she loved made Beca angrier than she had ever been, and it was taking all of Beca’s self-control not to launch herself at this imposter in front of her, perhaps only being able to restrain herself because of how eerily similar she looked to Chloe.

“What are you talking about? _I’m_ Chloe!” Chloe protested, tears in her eyes as she looked from Beca to Aubrey and then Stacie, “What the hell is going on?!”

“No you’re not.” Aubrey shook her head, gaze steely, “You’re a fairly convincing copy I’ll give you that. But you’re not Chloe Beale. Who are you?”

“Bree, this is crazy, I’m Chloe! Who the hell else would I be?!” Chloe struggled against Stacie’s binding spell, “Guys this isn’t funny, let me go.”

“Not a chance.” Stacie was stone faced as she held the spell tight, Hunter whistling in agreement, “Now, who are you? Who are you working for?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Chloe cried, tears slipping down her cheeks, “I’m Chloe, I’ve always been Chloe!”

Beca couldn’t contain her rage anymore as she launched herself at the imposter with a roar, tackling her to the floor, fangs bared as she pinned her underneath her.

“Where is she?!” Beca yelled digging her now sharp clawed fingers into the imposter’s wrists, causing her to yelp in pain.

“Beca please, you’re hurting me.” Chloe begged, struggling underneath her, tears running down her cheeks, “I’m right here, what’s gotten into you?!”

Beca growled furiously, claws digging in deeper, “You have five seconds to tell me what you’ve done with Chloe or I swear to god I’m going to tear you apart slowly and painfully.”

Aubrey grabbed Beca around her waist and pulled her off Chloe, the short brunette writhing in her arms.

“Get the fuck off me!” Beca snarled.

“Watch her.” Aubrey nodded to Chloe as she dragged Beca outside, Stacie smiling softly in response. Once outside in the cool night air, Aubrey let go of Beca who whipped around angrily.

“What the hell are you doing?! We’re wasting time!” Beca spat, moving to push past Aubrey and back into the office.

“You need to calm down.” Aubrey’s voice was level as she stepped into Beca’s path, “Maybe we’re wrong, maybe that is Chloe.”

“Three days.” Beca snarled, “Three days I have been telling you that that’s not Chloe. That something is wrong. This has Gail written all over it, and every second you’re wasting out here telling me to calm down is another second that Chloe is in danger!”

“Beca… the fact is we’ve found nothing that supports what you’re saying except a couple of little things that seem odd.” Aubrey sighed softly.

“You want proof? Seriously?!” Beca shook her head frustratedly, “After everything we’ve been through, all the times I’ve proved myself to this team, to _you_ , and you still don’t trust me enough to take me at my word?!”

“It’s not that-” Aubrey started.

“You want proof? Fine.” Beca shoved past Aubrey and back into the office where Stacie was pulling Chloe into a chair. Aubrey was close behind as the vampire strode over to the redhead, teeth clenched as she stood over Chloe.

“How did I propose to you?” Beca asked, arms tightly crossed across her chest, nostrils flaring.

“What?” Chloe frowned, “Right now? After all that? Seriously?”

“How did I propose?” Beca asked again, Aubrey and Stacie watching intently.

“Becs…” Chloe whispered, tears still flowing freely, “Why does it matter?”

“How?” Beca was firm, eyes blazing with fury.

“I- I-” Chloe stammered, looking around her helplessly. Beca nodded firmly, wiping at her cheeks to dismiss the tears that were betraying her breaking heart, “I don’t remember…”

“That’s what I thought.” Beca turned her back on the imposter to look at Aubrey, “You wanted proof? There you go. Chloe would never forget how I asked her to marry me. Never.”

“You’re right.” Aubrey mumbled quietly, “So what do we do? Whoever or whatever that is, is so convinced that they are Chloe we’ll get nothing from them.”

“We need a different tact.” Stacie was trying to keep a level head in the face of this, knowing at least one of them had to, “We all know who’s behind this, so that’s the angle we go at this from.”

“And quickly. We’ve wasted enough time.” Beca threw Aubrey a glare as she turned back to the imposter.

Aubrey opened her mouth to protest but quickly shut it again. Beca had a point, she should have done something sooner, should’ve trusted Beca’s instincts right off the bat. God only knew what had happened to Chloe or what kind of danger she was in right now… if she was even still alive.

“Stop.” Stacie whispered, taking Aubrey’s hand and giving it a soft squeeze, seeming to read Aubrey’s mind, “You didn’t know, we had to be sure.”

“She’s been my best friend since we were kids. I should’ve known.” Aubrey shook her head, pulling away from Stacie before her girlfriend could say anything else. She walked over to the woman impersonating her best friend, jaw set as she glared at her, “So. Who are you working for?”

Chloe shook her head, looking bewildered and a little terrified as she looked around at her friends, “You guys. I work for you guys. What is this?” Chloe went to get out of the chair but a quick wave of Stacie’s hand quickly had her rooted back on the chair with a sharp gasp.

“Cut the crap.” Beca growled eyes were as dark and as furious as a thunderstorm as she clenched her fists, shaking with anger, “I will tear you to shreds, make no mistake. Start. Talking.”

“We can do this all night.” Aubrey stood firm, “And next time I might just let Beca rip you apart.”

Chloe opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water, looking around her, bewildered and tearful, truly looking like she didn’t understand what was happening.

“We’ll make this easier. What does Gail want?” Stacie’s hand was steady as she stared her down. She was ignoring the tug inside her that made her want to hug the heartbreakingly familiar redhead in front of her, trying to remind herself that this wasn’t Chloe, no matter how much she might look and sound like her.

Chloe hung her head for a moment, a quiet pause spreading through the office as the redhead pondered her options. The three members of Vampire Hunters Incorporated stood in the tense silence that was broken as the redhead started to chuckle softly. Beca’s lip curled angrily as she stepped forward a little, Aubrey putting a hand on her arm to try and calm her a little. The brunette snatched her arm away but stood her ground as Chloe lifted her head, smirking nastily.

“Mom really needs to give you guys more credit, you’re smarter than she thought you were.” Chloe surveyed them all with a cool glare and smirk, all trace of remorse and fear gone.

“Mom?” Aubrey couldn’t contain her shock as she felt her stomach flip. The last thing any of them needed was Gail to have some kind of offspring.

“Yeah! And I’ve gotta say, this was fun… especially with you Becs, you’re a great kisser! Shame we didn’t get on to more of the fun stuff.” Chloe winked at the short brunette who snarled and launched herself at her again, Aubrey catching her and pulling her back again as Beca tried to push her off.

“Get off me Posen, I’m gonna kill her!” Beca writhed angrily in her arms, “I’m gonna fucking kill her!”

“You’re giving her what she wants.” Aubrey grunted. She had never really appreciated just how strong Beca was and she was struggling (even with her extra Vampire Hunter strength) to keep hold of her, “You kill her now, we lose Chloe for good.”

This seemed to calm Beca enough as she stopped fighting Aubrey, pulling away from her angrily as she glared at the redhead, still trembling angrily.

“I can’t believe she actually did it…” Beca shook her head, sinking into a chair.

“Did what?” Stacie asked with a frown.

“For as long as I’ve known her, Gail has been trying to create, for want of a better phrase, children.” Beca pulled a face and shuddered a little, “Creatures born of her magic that are kind of a combination of the worst elements of Other Realm beings and herself. I’m guessing that that thing is half vampire. Every time she’s tried it though it’s been a disaster, these awful abominations that never survived more than a few hours. Until now.”

“Uh huh.” Chloe grinned, “I’m mom’s greatest achievement.”

Something about hearing this fake Chloe refer to Gail as ‘mom’ made Aubrey’s skin crawl. She ran a hand through her hair as her jaw tightened, “What does she want?” Aubrey asked Chloe, only just keeping a handle on her own anger.

“Same thing as always.” Chloe shrugged. She might be pinned to a chair with her arms behind her back, but she was still every bit the spitting image of Chloe Beale, down to the last minute twitch of her lip, “To destroy you. You guys are kind of a pain in the ass.”

“So what? She replaces Chloe with a fake and you bring us down from the inside?” Stacie frowned, scoffing a little, “What is this a bad spy thriller?”

“Had you fooled for three days and you’re supposed to be the smart one.” Chloe narrowed her eyes and smirked.

“What about Chloe?” Beca demanded, “Where is she?”

“I have no idea.” Chloe rolled her eyes, grinning inanely, “All I know is that mom took her with her.”

Beca felt her stomach churn as she gripped the side of the chair she was sat in tightly, nostrils flaring as she fought back tears. Chloe had been with Gail for three days… Beca knew the kind of depraved things Gail liked to do to those caught in her web, her scars throbbing slightly at just the memory of it. And now she had Chloe, her dear, sweet, ray of sunshine of a fiancée and she was doing… god only knew what she was doing to her. Her chest tightened as memories that had been buried for nearly two centuries flashed before her eyes, biting her lip hard.

“I need some air…” She mumbled, getting up quickly and heading out of the office. The sun was still an hour off rising as Beca leant against the wall outside, sinking to the ground with her head in her hands and her knees pulled to her chest.

A few minutes later, Stacie stepped out of the office and sat next to Beca, “Aubrey tied her up, she’s keeping an eye on her, seeing if she can find anything else out. I felt like I was the one you were less likely to scream at.” She joked weakly.

“Three days.” Beca sniffed, “Three days Gail has had Chloe, and we’ve been carrying on like everything is normal, whilst she-” Beca shook her head, not wanting to say any of it out loud.

“We didn’t know.” Stacie sighed softly.

“ _I_ did!” Beca’s head whipped round to look at Stacie, anger and fear making her eyes bright, “I told Aubrey right from the start that something was wrong, that it wasn’t Chloe, but she didn’t listen!”

“Becs… please don’t blame Bree for this. It’s not her fault, she had to be sure.” Stacie looked at Beca with a sad sympathetic smile.

“She still doesn’t trust me.” Beca shook her head, “I have proved time and time again that I am on your side, that we have the same goals, that I’ll give my _life_ for you guys and she still sees me as just another vampire, just another mark.”

“That’s not true-” Stacie started, horrified that Beca would feel like an outsider still after everything they had been through.

“It’s fine.” Beca shrugged, sniffing hard as she got to her feet, “I’m used to it. Let’s just get this done, rescue Chloe.” She headed back into the office without another word.

Stacie got up from the floor with a sad sigh, Hunter whistling sadly, “I know.” She mumbled, “I’m gonna talk to Aubrey when this is over, I hate that she feels like an outsider.” Hunter whistled again as Stacie smiled softly, “She is amazing. I just wish she knew it.”

When Stacie walked back inside, she paused as she saw that Chloe was now sporting a bloody lip and a bleeding nose. She looked to Beca who immediately held up her hands defensively.

“Don’t look at me, it was your girlfriend over there.” Beca had a slight hint of a smirk on her face as she nodded to Aubrey. The blonde looked a little sheepish as she avoided making eye contact.

“She pissed me off…” Aubrey mumbled, shaking her hand and wincing a little, “I’m just sick of this. I’m sick of being on the back foot with Gail, of looking at _her_ stupid, smug face.” She glared at Chloe who despite her injures was still smirking gleefully.

“Let me look.” Stacie gently took Aubrey’s injured hand and frowned slightly as she looked at her bruised knuckles, holding her hand over them as it glowed, “There. You’re better than this, don’t stoop to her level.” Stacie smiled softly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, Aubrey nodding a little.

“She might be, but I’m not.” Beca growled, the claws on her hand sharpening as she grabbed Chloe by the throat, forcing her head upwards so she was looking at her, “I spent three months under Gail’s thumb after I turned and nearly two centuries after that using every trick and instinct I had to get away from her, so believe me when I say I know how to fight dirty and inflict a hell of a lot of pain.”

“I should’ve known you liked it rough.” Chloe sneered, eyebrow raised.

“Keep pushing me princess, see where it gets you.” Beca’s tone was level but her eyes sparked with rage as her hand tightened around Chloe’s throat.

Beca’s anger had surpassed yelling and flights of sudden rage into a cold, calm indifference that was far more terrifying and it sent a chill down both Aubrey and Stacie’s spines. Neither of them had ever seen Beca like this, and Stacie particularly had never expected it from the short brunette; sometimes it was easy to forget that Beca was technically one of the Other Realm creatures that they made a living hunting down.

“Beca…” Aubrey put a hand on Beca’s arm again. This was not a road she wanted to see Beca go down. A part of her was scared that if she disappeared down this route they’d never get her back.

“Touch me again Posen and you’re going to lose your hand.” Beca didn’t once take her eyes off Chloe, but her tone was deadly serious, “You tried it your way. Now we’re doing it my way.”

Aubrey moved her hand but didn’t for a second leave Beca’s side, “Don’t do this. Don’t let Gail turn you into something you hate. Chloe wouldn’t want this.”

“She’s right.” Stacie smiled softly, “This isn’t you Becs, I know you’re angry, I know you’re scared, but this isn’t the right way to do this.”

“Oh yeah? And what is the right way of doing things hm?” Beca raised an eyebrow, tone steely, turning her head a little to glance at Stacie, “Because right now we’re no closer to finding Chloe than we were three days ago. I’m willing to try anything.”

“We both know there’s a monster barely hidden below the surface.” The wounds inflicted by Aubrey were already healed as Chloe bit her lip a little with a smirk, “Let her out, let’s play a little.”

Chloe winced a little as Beca’s hand grew tighter still, claws beginning to cut into the back of Chloe’s neck. Stacie turned and grabbed her bag, rummaging through and pulling out a vial.

“I have something, Beca please. You’re better than this, you’re not what they tried to make you to be.” Stacie pleaded with her, “Use this instead, please.”

“Show me.” Beca held out her hand for the vial, anger making her voice shake just a little. She looked at the vial that Stacie had pressed into her hand and smirked slightly as she realised what it was, “Damn Conrad. You’re packing heat…”

Aubrey looked at her girlfriend with a frown as Stacie blushed a little, shrugging, “I never want to be unprepared for anything.”

“You think I’m gonna drink that? How dumb do you think I am? Or is your Chloe just really thick?” Chloe sneered, a slight spark of fear in her eyes.

Beca growled a little as her hand moved from Chloe’s throat to the underneath of her chin, gripping it tightly. Chloe jerked her head from side to side, trying to squirm from Beca’s grip as the brunette’s fingers pressed hard into her cheeks forcing her mouth open.

“You think I’m giving a choice?” Beca raised an eyebrow, nostrils flaring, “Stace open this for me will you?” Beca held out the vial for the witch, using her now free hand to sharply pull Chloe’s head back by her hair, keeping it held in place, “Give it to her.” She beckoned for Stacie with her head.

Stacie and Aubrey shared a look before the tall brunette stepped forward and poured the liquid into Chloe’s forcibly open mouth and down her throat. She was uncomfortable with this to say the least, but this still felt like the least violent option. Chloe spluttered and coughed as Beca let go of her, not saying a word as she pushed past Stacie and Aubrey and sat in one of the free chairs, looking at the watch on her wrist.

“We’ve got ten minutes before it kicks in.” She looked up at Stacie and Aubrey who were both looking a little uncomfortable, “What? Stacie offered this option.”

“What was that?” Aubrey asked, looking from Beca to Stacie, wondering how concerned she should be.

“It’s a truth serum…” Stacie started, running a hand through her hair as she took a seat as well, exhausted from the stress of the night, “But it’s a particularly potent one. There’s some magic, some potions that I know how to use that… well they blur the line between good and evil.” She sighed slumping forward, arms resting on her knees.

“Yeah, I’m surprised you had it.” Beca raised her eyebrow higher, “But I’m glad you did.”

“What does it do?” Aubrey sat next to Stacie, a concerned look on her face. She could see that her girlfriend was torn over having used it.

“If the person who takes it tries to lie or doesn’t answer the question…” Stacie bit her lip a little, “They start to boil from the inside, apparently it’s like they’re on fire underneath their skin.”

Aubrey couldn’t help the small gasp that left her lips. She was shocked that Stacie had made such a potion, nevermind that she had offered it up to use. But she knew deep down that this was probably their best option against one of Gail’s children.

“You did what you had to.” Aubrey gave her hand a gentle squeeze, “It’s okay. It’s for Chloe.”

“You little bitch.” Chloe snorted, anger making her eyes glitter, “You play dirty… I almost admire you for it, I thought you were a goody two shoes.”

“Ignore her.” Beca’s face was hard as stone, “We did what we had to. And if this doesn’t work you guys are going to leave the room.” Aubrey opened her mouth to protest as Beca looked at her watch again, “That’s ten minutes. Where’s Chloe?” She asked the imposter, eyes steely.

“I don’t know.” Chloe rolled her eyes, “God you’re a broken record.”

“Who are you?” Aubrey asked, trying to change the direction of questioning to get them some more useful answers.

“Chloe.” Chloe smirked, knowing that she was giving them nothing and revelling in it.

“ _What_ are you?” Stacie fixed Chloe with a piercing glare.

Chloe opened her mouth but hissed as a fire seemed to spread under her skin, biting her lip, “Fine…” She spat angrily, “That potion’s a bitch. Gail created me, I’m half vampire, half her, a doppelganger but with added pizzazz. It’s all the fun of being a vampire without all the pesky drawbacks like an aversion sunlight and needing a verbal invitation to enter a dwelling.” She raised her eyebrow.

“How many of you are there?” Aubrey asked, dreading the answer.

Chloe growled softly, knowing she had to answer as the fire under her skin seemed to reignite, “More than three, I don’t know the exact number. But she’s making more. Not just doppelgangers, all sorts of beings. You guys are screwed.”

“Where’s Gail?” Beca smirked a little as she saw the look of anger and frustration on Chloe’s face.

“You god damn bitch…” She spat, “She’s… nearby.”

“Where _exactly_ is she?” Beca leant forward in her chair smirking as Chloe hissed in pain, scowling at Beca.

“I won’t… I’m not…” Chloe growled through gritted teeth, sweat beading on her forehead as she tried to fight the truth serum, “God DAMMIT! The warehouse on fourteenth.” She snarled, lip curling as she glared at the threesome. The scowl was quickly replaced by a smirk however as a beam of light came through the window, Chloe chuckling cruelly, “Looks like you’re too late though. The suns up.”

Beca lept quickly away from the window with a growl, “You did that on purpose.” She snarled, unable to get any closer to the redhead with the sun out.

“Oh yeah.” Chloe laughed, “I figured I’d buy mom one more day of fun with your girl.”

“Beca, we can go get her.” Stacie waved her hand towards the windows, the shutters that they had installed after the time Beca had caught fire clattering shut, “We’ll go get her.”

“You guys are no match for Gail on your own.” Beca shook her head, tears forming at the corner of her eyes as her hands balled into fists, “Besides, it’s me that she wants to torture. We’re more likely to find Chloe alive if I go, she’ll want me to see what’s she done.”

The pair wanted to argue with Beca, but deep down they knew she was right. Beca was the one who knew Gail best, who had bested her before but only just. She was the strongest of all of them, and even with her they were barely a match for Gail.

“So we just… wait?” Stacie frowned softly, running a hand through her hair.

“I guess.” Beca shrugged, “You two should go and get some rest, it’s been a long night and we’re gonna need all our strength.”

“No.” Aubrey shook her head, “I mean this in the nicest way possible, but there’s no way in hell I’m leaving you here alone with her.”

“We’ll sleep in shifts.” Stacie offered a compromise before Beca could snap at Aubrey, “So that there’s two of us here at a time. That way everyone can rest before we take on Gail and no-one is left alone with her. I don’t think any of us should be in that position.”

Beca sank to the floor and pulled her knees to her chest, head in her hands, her anger replaced with a feeling of hopelessness at the thought that Chloe had to spend another day with Gail, Beca powerless to do anything about it.

“I hate this, I fucking hate this.” Beca shook her head again, “I have spent nearly two hundred years dealing with this bitch and her schemes and I’m sick of it.” There was quiet pause for a moment, neither Stacie or Aubrey knowing how to comfort Beca at this point. How do you comfort someone who has spent two centuries fighting the same person and can’t seem to escape her grasp?

“Whatever.” Beca sniffed, wiping at her cheeks with her hand, “Who’s sleeping first then?”

“Becs-” Stacie started intending to try and comfort the bereft vampire.

“I’m not talking about it.” Beca snapped, “Let’s just get this waiting over with.”

“Aw, is the big bad vampire sad? Does she miss her girlfriend?” Chloe taunted, a grin on her face.

“Will someone shut her up before I do?” Beca snarled, leaning her head back to rest on the wall behind her, exhausted, angry and frightened. Not for herself, but for Chloe and the fact she had to spend another day in Gail’s clutches whilst she did god only knew what.

Stacie flicked her hand towards Chloe, casting a silencing spell on the imposter who glowered at them, wishing her hands weren’t tied behind her back so she could flip them off.

“Why don’t you get some sleep Becs? Aubrey and I will take the first shift.” Stacie offered with a soft smile.

Beca just nodded slightly, letting her eyelids flutter shut. She was too tired to argue with them anymore, too tired to fight the exhaustion that weighed on her like a lead blanket, too tired to care about anything other than the fact that Chloe was in danger and all Beca could do was sit around and wait. She was the one who had put Chloe in Gail’s path, this was her fault. She should have just left when Chloe found out who she was. What the hell was she thinking? Since when was she allowed to have a normal life? She was deluding herself thinking she could be a part of Chloe’s life, part of this team, and live happily ever after. She wasn’t meant for that.

 _‘Chloe I’m so sorry… this is all my fault.’_ Beca thought as she slipped off into an uneasy sleep, _‘I’m coming I promise, just hold on a little longer.’_

* * *

Chloe’s head felt like a lead weight as she lifted it, hearing the now all too familiar sound of Gail’s approaching footsteps. She couldn’t tell how long she’d been here, how long she’d been at the mercy of every sadistic urge that John and Gail had had. All she knew was that she was in agony and exhausted, there wasn’t a single part of her that wasn’t throbbing with every slight shift of her body. Chloe wasn’t healing like she normally would anymore, partly due to the magic Gail was using, but mainly because Chloe hadn’t eaten in days.

Both Beca and Chloe only consumed enough blood to keep their strength up, and since Aubrey had struck up an arrangement with the blood bank neither had fed off a human. In fact, Chloe hadn’t ever fed off a human, she hadn’t even had the same intense bloodlust that a new-born vampire usually had. None of them had questioned it, Beca had said it was different for every vampire. Chloe had only ever felt the need to drink blood every three days or so, but it had been four since she’d had any and now lying on this filthy floor skin cut, body bruised and bones broken, clothes in tatters and barely held together, she couldn’t ignore the gnawing inside her that called out for blood to satiate the monster that howled inside her for something to eat.

“Hello sweetie. You look awful…” Gail smirked cruelly.

Chloe said nothing, simply letting her head drop to the floor again, too tired and in too much pain to say anything. The chains around her wrist tightened a little, causing Chloe to grunt softly as Gail frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the response she was getting.

“God you’ve gotten boring quick… I thought you’d last longer than this. Are you hungry, is that it?” Gail sighed as she waved a hand, Chloe forced to sit up right, eyelids hooded as she looked up at the witch with contempt, “Not to worry, I’ve got a treat for you.”

John entered the room at this point, dragging something in with him. He smirked as he threw it haphazardly to Gail’s feet, “It’s nice and fresh, I’m a little jealous actually… I wish my first had looked like this.”

Chloe’s eyes fell on the shivering form at Gail’s feet, gasping softly. It was a young woman, no older than nineteen, bound and gagged, eyes glittering with fear. Chloe felt her stomach drop as their eyes met, licking her dry lips. It wasn’t just that she hadn’t needed to feed from a human being, it was that she hadn’t _wanted_ to. It was a line she didn’t want to cross and she wasn’t about to let Gail take this away from her. She’d taken so much from her already, made her feel so weak and helpless, but Chloe was not about to give this up without a fight; it might be thing keeping her soul intact and she was going to cling to it for dear life.

“No…” Chloe whispered hoarsely, “I won’t do it. You can’t make me.”

“Are you really still underestimating me Red?” Gail chuckled, pulling the young woman to her knees by her long brunette hair, “You know who she reminds me of? Rebecca. She’s the spitting image of her at this age isn’t she John?”

“Now that you mention it…” John gripped the young woman’s chin roughly as she whimpered in fright, “It’s like looking in a portal to the past.”

The young woman whimpered again as Gail’s hand tightened in her hair. It was quite clear she had no idea what was going on, that John had just plucked her off the street and brought her here. In a normal situation, Chloe would be focusing on making sure the young woman was alright, reassuring her that she’d be okay, but this wasn’t normal and all Chloe could focus on was the sound of the woman’s heartbeat and the slightly visible pulsating vein in her neck that was calling her like a siren song. Chloe shook her head slightly to try and get the thought out of her head. She wasn’t going to do this. She was stronger than them, she had to be.

“No.” Chloe shook her head furiously, “No. I won’t.”

Gail sighed heavily and dramatically, rolling her eyes, “Rebecca’s ridiculous moral complex has really rubbed off on you… you’re a vampire now Chloe. This is what you’re supposed to do.” Gail gestured to the now crying young woman who’s hair was still wrapped tightly around her hand, “These humans, they’re nothing, they’re a speck of dirt. You, me, John… these insects are here to serve us. So let go of that voice in your head that tells you otherwise. This…” Gail threw the young woman forward so that she was lay in front of Chloe, “… is dinner.”

Chloe narrowed her eyes, clenching her jaw to stop her fangs from dropping and giving away the animalistic urge that roared to sink its teeth into this helpless young woman’s neck, “You might be a monster, but I’m not.” She growled.

“God you are just as insufferable as that bitch of a girlfriend of yours.” John rolled his eyes, turning to Gail, “If she’s not gonna eat it can I? Because it looks divine…”

“Wait your turn.” There was an air of menace to Gail’s tone as she smiled at John, the older vampire shrinking back a little. Gail knelt on the floor next to Chloe and the captive woman, lifting the latter’s head by her hair again, jerking it one side so that her neck was exposed, “Doesn’t that look so appealing? Don’t you just want to sink your teeth into it?”

Gail traced the fingers of her free hand along the exposed neck of the distraught woman. Her nails sharpened as she made a shallow cut, drawing blood and smirking as Chloe’s fangs dropped, the redhead no longer able to hide the ache inside that drew her towards the red liquid.

“See… you want this.” Gail purred, “You can’t listen to that pesky little soul of yours. This is in your nature, this is who you are. Lean into it, embrace it.”

Chloe’s pupils were starting to dilate as she leant forward a little, fangs bared. The smell of blood filled her nose and seemed to overwhelm her senses, almost hypnotic as the monster in her growled at her to hurry up and eat. Chloe shook her head again, trying to clear the fog in her brain that threatened to suppress her voice of reason.

“No!” She spat, glaring at Gail as she tore her eyes from the cut on the young woman’s neck, “You won’t break me, you won’t make me into a monster.”

“Are you getting déjà vu?” John sniggered, “She sounds just like Rebecca did.”

Gail ignored him, frustrated that she wasn’t getting anywhere. Dropping the young woman unceremoniously to the floor, she got to her feet, jaw clenched, “You’ll cave. They always do. Rebecca did.”

Chloe’s eyes widened in shock but she said nothing. Beca had never said anything about her time with Gail or anything that had happened in the two centuries before she’d met Chloe, but the redhead had never even entertained the idea that Beca might have done, or been forced to do some unsavoury things. No, she hadn’t, this was Gail trying to get in her head again, trying to break her. Beca would have told her… wouldn’t she?

Gail left the room with John close behind, Chloe sighing softly as she leant back against the wall, eyes fluttering shit. She could do this. It didn’t matter how appealing the idea was, how much the monster inside her howled out to be fed, how much she was drawn to the young woman’s neck like a magnet, she wasn’t going to give into it. The dull throb of her injuries reminded her that once she fed she’s start healing properly again, that her strength would come back but… she couldn’t. It wasn’t worth it.

“Chlo?”

Chloe’s eyes snapped open, tears in the corners of her eyes, “Becs?” She whispered hoarsely, convinced if her heart could beat it would be pounding out of her chest right now.

“Oh baby, I was so worried about you…” Beca knelt next to Chloe, stroking her head as she gave her a soft watery smile.

“You’re here…” Tears ran down Chloe’s cheeks as she looked deep into the stormy blue eyes of the woman she loved, “I knew you’d know that wasn’t me.”

“Of course I did.” Beca grinned, “There’s only one Chloe Beale.” Beca looked Chloe up and down, biting her lip softly, “Oh Chlo… you’re really hurt.”

“I’m okay.” Chloe shook her head, “You’re here now, it’s all okay.”

“Let’s get these chains off you.” Beca mumbled, unwinding them from Chloe’s wrists and ankles and letting them clatter to the floor. Chloe gently slumped into Beca’s arms and they sat in silence for just a minute before Beca spoke again, “You’re okay, I got you.”

“I know… I missed you Becs.” Chloe mumbled, nuzzling into the side of her neck.

“Chlo… you’re gonna need your strength to get out of here.” Beca whispered, biting her lip again as she pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, “I- I know it’s not ideal, in fact it’s awful but... feed from her. Just a little, I’ll be right here to stop you before it goes too far, but baby you need to have some…”

“Becs…” Chloe frowned softly, wincing as she lifted her head to look at her, “I can’t… I shouldn’t…”

“You can. I promise, I’m right here. I won’t let you go so far that you can’t come back, I won’t let you kill her. But I need you to eat something…” Beca tucked a lock of hair behind Chloe’s ear.

Chloe paused for a moment, eyes closing as she pondered her options, “You promise that you won’t leave me? That you’ll stop me going too far?”

“Of course.” Beca smiled softly, “I’m not going anywhere.” Beca leant in close and captured Chloe’s lips in hers gently. It was soft so as not to hurt Chloe anymore than she already had been but it was so full of love that Chloe could’ve sworn her heart had started beating again for a moment.

Chloe eventually pulled away from the kiss, nodding softly, “Okay…” She whispered, stomach clenching a little as her fangs seemed to sharpen, turning to look at the trembling helpless young woman, “Just a little…”

“It’s okay baby. I’m right here.” Beca pulled the young woman into Chloe’s lap as the woman let out a stifled sob, “Just enough to get you out of here.”

“Are you sure?” Chloe’s hands rested on the young woman, one on her shoulder, the other on the side of her head as she exposed her neck, trying to ignore the muffled pleas from the woman in her arms, “This feels… wrong…”

Beca shushed her gently, kissing her temple, “I’m here to stop you doing the wrong thing. All you have to do is focus on having something to eat, I’ll take care of the rest.”

Chloe hesitated again, fangs bared just mere centimetres from the woman’s neck. This still felt wrong, felt unnatural, but Beca was here, and she was saying that it would be okay, that she had her. And she so wanted something to eat, she _needed_ something to eat. Maybe… maybe this would be okay. It was a one time thing after all, just enough to give her the strength to get home.

“I’m sorry…” She whispered to the young woman in her grasp, “I’m so sorry…”

With that, Chloe dipped her head and bit down hard, the young woman’s screech of pain falling deaf on her ears as blood filled her mouth and she began to eagerly gulp down huge mouthfuls. Her brain began to fog as the bloodlust took hold of her, her monster howling with delight as it was unleashed. With every gulp the fog in her mind grew thicker and her wounds slowly started to heal, bones mending, bruises fading. Chloe waited for Beca to tap her on the shoulder, to drag her off the woman in her grip if she had to but it never came. What did come however was a cruel laugh that filtered its way through the fog, and as Chloe’s pupils dilated like saucers and her grip on her voice of reason slipped away, she realised that it had been a trick.

 _‘Oh god… no…’_ Chloe’s inner voice whimpered softly as it lost its fight with the roaring monster inside her.

Gail grinned cruelly as she watched Chloe drain the life from the woman in her arms, “I knew that would do the trick.” She sighed happily, moving some of Chloe’s hair back out of the way of her mouth.

“Shapeshifting into Rebecca?” John chuckled, “Inspired. I don’t think I’ve ever been more attracted to you. Think you can whip that out later when it’s just the two of us?”

Gail laughed, smirking at him, “I think I can manage that.” She turned her attention back to Chloe as the young vampire let the now deceased woman drop from her arms, “See…” She whispered in her ear, unable to keep the gloating tone from her voice, “I told you I’d break you.”

Chloe growled softly as she shook her head, “No.” She grunted, trying to claw back through the fog in her brain, “No!”

Gail raised an eyebrow and smirked at Chloe as the redhead jumped backwards, away from the witch and the dead body in front of her, a look of horror on her face. She wiped aggressively at the remaining blood on her chin, tears in her eyes as she tried to remove all traces of what had just happened.

“No…” She whispered, “No I didn’t…” Chloe couldn’t take her eyes off the unmoving form of the young woman as tears began to slip down her cheeks, “Beca… she was here… you…”

“I did nothing sweetie, it was all you.” Gail sneered, leaning back on her hands.

Chloe pulled her knees to her chest, transfixed by the body of the woman that she had killed. Oh god… she’d killed her, she’d murdered an innocent woman with her whole life ahead of her. Gail was right, _she’d_ done that.

“Where’s Beca?” Chloe asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She knew the answer, deep down she knew she’d been tricked, but she couldn’t help clinging to the idea that somewhere in this room was Beca waiting to whisk away from all this horror.

“Right here babe.”

Chloe felt bile rise in the back of her throat as Gail transformed into Beca before her eyes, giving her the lopsided smile that she had fallen in love with. Chloe heaved, bent double as she emptied what little there was in her stomach onto the floor.

“I hate you.” Chloe sobbed once the vomiting spell had passed, “Why are you doing this to me?”

“It’s fun.” Gail shrugged with a sly grin, now back in her own body, “And it’s less about you and more about Rebecca. This is going to kill her, and I am all for that.”

“What is wrong with you?!” Chloe cried, tears flowing freely as she shook her head angrily.

Gail just chuckled, running a hand through her hair as she got to her feet, “There’s nothing wrong with me, I’m exactly who I’m supposed to be. You on the other hand? You’re kinda wasting your powers.” 

“I’m saving lives, saving people from _you_.” Chloe spat, “That’s what we do, we’re the ones that are making the most of our powers.”

Gail chuckled cruelly, “Please, anyone can do that.” Gail fixed Chloe with a cool glare as her form shifted to a familiar blonde that Chloe had been friends with since childhood.

“Anyone can hunt vampires and demons and what-not.” Aubrey grinned with a shrug, Chloe’s nostrils flaring as Aubrey transformed into a tall brunette that she had come to love like a sister.

“It’s really easy to set this line between good and evil, and decide that everyone who isn’t like us is bad and we have to eradicate them.” Stacie smiled warmly before shifting into Beca as Chloe’s jaw clenched tightly.

“At the end of end of the day, we can all only act according to our nature. Those that fight who they are, surely they’re the real monsters? The ones that won’t accept what makes them unique are the ones that end up causing the most damage whilst they fight against their nature. Look at me, you wouldn’t have ended up in this position if I had just accepted who I am.” Beca shrugged as Chloe let out a low a growl and launched herself at Gail, wounds and broken bones mostly healed now that she had fed.

She was still weak, and in her heart of hearts Chloe knew she was no match for Gail, but watching the witch put words in her friend’s mouths, watching her pin all of this on Beca made her angrier than she had ever thought possible, claws extended. Gail rolled her eyes as she caught Chloe by her wrists and quickly pinned her against a nearby wall.

“Y’see Red, we can be anyone we want, you never know who you’re dealing with, who a person really is.” Gail smirked as she shifted again, but this time somehow splitting into three as all of her friends stood around the pinned vampire whose hid whipped around, tears in her eyes as she struggled against Beca.

“No-one is who they claim to be.” All three of them said in unison as Chloe choked out a sob, ceasing her struggles against Gail as her form shifted back to its original state.

“I give up…” Chloe whispered, going limp in Gail’s grasp as tears poured down her cheeks again, “Do what you want.”

Gail’s smirk was so wide it could’ve cracked her face in half as she chuckled, releasing Chloe’s wrists and letting her drop to the ground, “Didn’t I tell you I’d break you eventually?” She sighed happily as she cracked her neck, “That doesn’t mean the fun stops though. In fact, we’re just getting started.”

Chloe said nothing, her eyes fixed on the floor as she felt the discarded chains wrap around her wrists and ankles again, flinching slightly as they tightened around her barely healed bruises. No-one was coming for her. Her family had bought the fake version of her and were carrying on with their lives. They didn’t need her, they weren’t coming to rescue her… and even in if they did? They wouldn’t want her, not after this. Beca would be horrified, how could she have been so stupid, how could she have fallen for that? How could she have _kissed_ her?

Gail waved a hand and Chloe cried out in pain as she felt the newly healed cuts on her body reopen, Gail making slow and painful work of re-breaking the bones she had broken earlier with a cruel smirk as Chloe’s screams of agony grew louder.

This really was the most fun she’d in centuries.


	3. PART THREE: Family Matters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I know I said Friday for this but what the hell, have it now, it is already written after all! The final part of Double Trouble is here, and I'm hoping it makes up for the cliffhanger/devastation I caused with that last chapter whoopsie...
> 
> Thanks to RJ for helping with the betaing as usual, you're amazing
> 
> Got a VH Inc idea? Send me a prompt on Tumblr @ridiculously-over-obsessed

“Wake that thing up will you? She’s coming with us.” Beca growled, stretching the knot out of her back as she ran a hand through her hair. The sun was beginning to set, and Beca was not about to waste any more time. Chloe needed her.

Aubrey nodded as Stacie shook her head to clear the last of the sleep from it. Beca and Aubrey had taken the last shift watching the now sleeping imposter but not a word had been spoken between them, a tension in the air that hadn’t existed since Beca had first joined the team.

“If we go in with _it_ Gail might be less likely to rip us apart on sight.” Beca was packing blood bags into her satchel just in case Chloe was in bad shape (who was she kidding, there was no way that Chloe had gotten out of this unscathed) as Aubrey roughly shook the doppelganger awake, “I’m not suggesting Gail has a heart all of a sudden, but maybe the fact that she created it from nothing will count for something.”

Chloe simply grunted, glowering at the three of them as Aubrey pulled her to her feet, still under the silencing spell Stacie had put on her earlier. Stacie busied herself tying her hair back before going through her bag and checking she had everything they may need for the coming fight. Come hell or high water they were leaving with Chloe, even if it meant using everything in her arsenal.

“A bargaining chip is a good idea, even if it is Gail.” Aubrey agreed, Stacie using a freezing spell to hold their hostage in place as the blonde grabbed her weapons belt and tightened her ponytail, “Everyone ready?” Beca and Stacie nodded firmly as Aubrey grabbed the doppelganger’s arm, “Let’s go.”

Thirty minutes later, their car pulled to a screeching halt outside the warehouse, Beca barely waiting for the vehicle to stop as she lept out and dragged the doppelganger with her. Aubrey and Stacie were hot on heels as she stormed into the warehouse.

“Gail!” Beca yelled, anger radiating off her in waves as she forced the fake Chloe onto her knees, clawed hand tight around her throat, “I know you’re here! Get out here!”

“Always so loud Rebecca…” Gail sighed, twirling a lock of hair around her finger as she sauntered out of the shadows, “You really should work on your manners.”

“Where is she?!” Beca growled, Stacie and Aubrey stood firm and stoic by her side, primed for anything the witch could throw at them.

“I know so many people little one, care to narrow it down?” Gail smiled lazily, pausing as her eyes fell upon the doppelganger held tight in Beca’s vice like grip. When she did her eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched.

“Quit the games Gail.” Beca snarled, lip curled, “I’ll rip her head right off her shoulders, don’t test me.”

“Are you okay sweetie?” Gail’s tone was almost soft as her attention turned to the doppelganger. It made everyone’s skin crawl as she did, the doppelganger unable to respond thanks to the silencing spell. Gail waved her hand, reversing Stacie’s spell with relative ease.

“Oh thank god, that was driving me nuts!” Chloe rolled her eyes as she smirked at her mother, “Sorry about giving your hideout away mom, turns out the magic bitch is packing some serious heat with her truth serums.”

“Oh really?” Gail almost looked impressed as she glanced at Stacie, “Did they hurt you?”

Chloe shrugged a little, “Blondie punched me in the face, that hurt a little. And Becs is _really_ pissed about all this so you can imagine how that went.”

Gail’s jaw tightened more as she looked at the group in front of her, “So, what… you want to trade? One Chloe for another?” She chuckled softly, “Negotiating with me? You certainly changed your tune Rebecca, I thought you were a ‘running away’ kind of girl when it came to people you care about being in danger?”

Beca’s hand tightened around Chloe’s throat, the redhead gasping in pain as Beca’s claw like nails dug deep into the back of her neck, “Where’s Chloe?” She asked again, her barely controlled anger making her voice shake, “What’ve you done with her?”

Gail seemed to contemplate her options for a few moments as she fixed them with a cool steely glare, “Fine.” She said after a pause, “I’ve had my fun, I’m bored of her now. It’s no fun when they give up.”

Beca’s nostrils flared at Gail’s words, it taking all her self-control not to rip either the doppelganger or Gail apart right there and then. Stacie gently placed a hand on Beca’s arm, the short brunette jerking away but managing to keep her rage under control.

“Give me Chloe, then I’ll help you find yours.” Gail held out her hand for the thing that was technically her daughter.

“Do you take me for an idiot?” Beca snorted, “Tell me where she is first, then you can have this thing back.”

“I can wait all day.” Gail raised an eyebrow with a smirk, “But Chloe? She’s alone with John and she’s in a bad way… you remember John right?”

Beca supressed a shiver as her jaw tightened. She hated the idea of Gail having the upper hand, but she wasn’t about to take any chances with John being left unsupervised; the man was a monster, at the very least on par with Gail if not worse. She glanced to Stacie and then Aubrey who both nodded slightly before she moved her hand from Chloe’s throat, shoving her forward.

“Fine. Take her.” Beca growled. Gail waved a hand so that the chains binding her daughter fell away, holding her hand out for her as she helped her to her feet.

“Thanks mom.” Chloe beamed as the witch pulled her in for a hug, Beca feeling bile rise to the back of her throat as she watched them.

“You remember that vampires can find their sires on their own right?” Gale raised an eyebrow, Chloe held tightly to her chest.

“You don’t think I tried that?” Beca sneered, “It kept leading me back to that thing.” Beca nodded her head at the doppelganger, “I’ll give you this, the magic you used is pretty sophisticated.”

“A compliment? Rebecca what has gotten into you?” Gail raised a taunting eyebrow as Beca growled softly.

“We had a deal Gail. Where’s Chloe?” Beca’s eyes were dark as thunder as her hands balled into fists.

“Hang on, let me fix this magic and you can find her yourself.” Gail rolled her eyes, “Always so impatient…”

Chloe pulled back a little from her mother’s embrace, smiling inanely at her as Gail cupped her cheek with a soft smile, “God she’s the worst right?”

“I know darling. I’m sorry.” Gail sighed softly.

“What for?” Chloe frowned, looking a little confused.

“You really were the best of them… it’s such a shame it has to end like this.” Gail smiled at her daughter, hands either side of her face.

“Wha-?” Was all Chloe had time to mumble.

Gail grabbed Chloe’s head tightly and ripped it from her shoulder’s with ease, blood splattering over all of them as Stacie gasped in horror, hands clapping over her mouth in shock. The lifeless body of the doppelganger fell to the floor as Gail unceremoniously dropped the head to the floor, sighing softly as she wiped the blood from her cheek.

“That really is a shame… I liked her.” Gail shrugged, smiling at the horrified member of Vampire Hunters Incorporated, “Ah well, nevermind. That’s undone the spell, you’ll be able to locate Chloe now.”

“You’re sick…” Aubrey shook her head, all the colour drained from her face as her eyes fell on the headless body at Gail’s feet.

“Oh lighten up blondie, I did you a favour!” Gail smirked.

Beca was ignoring all of them as she closed her eyes, reaching out with her consciousness, desperately hoping beyond all hope that she would finally be able to find Chloe. It was a few moments of heart breaking nothingness before Beca felt it. It had dulled somewhat, but it was the unmistakeable pull of Beca’s soul as it found Chloe’s. She gasped softly as it did, opening her eyes and fixing Gail with a burning glare.

“Now to deal with you.” She growled, launching herself at the witch who simply stepped out of her path, waving a hand to freeze Stacie and Aubrey as she did so.

“Now, now.” She tutted as Beca pulled herself to her feet, “There isn’t time for this. You felt it right? The dullness of the connection? Your little girlfriend hasn’t got much time left… even less so when John is left to his own devices. The things I stopped him doing…” Gail shook her head mockingly, “So sure, you can stay here and try and fail to kill me, but you’d lose Chloe… is that what you want?”

Beca growled, lip curling as she bared her fangs. She wanted nothing more than to rip Gail limb from limb for everything that happened, but she couldn’t lose Chloe. Not now. Not when she was so close.

“One of these days, it’s going to just be you and me, no politics, no-one to get in the way, just you and me. And on that day I’m going to show you what I learnt the last two hundred years and put you through a pain even you cannot imagine.” Beca spat as she got right up in Gail’s face.

“Is that a threat little one?” Gail smirked, waving her friend to unfreeze the other members of the team as Beca walked off, hands balled into fists.

“No.” Beca looked over her shoulder, face as dark as thunder, “It’s a fucking promise.”

“Where are we going?” Stacie asked, trying to shake the shock and horror from her system and focus on the rescue mission.

“Somewhere I never thought I’d have to go again…” Beca sighed as she opened the drivers side door of the car, Aubrey and Stacie sharing a look again as they clambered into the car, “I should’ve known that she’d take her there.”

“Take her where?” Aubrey asked, feeling her heart pound faster as she saw a glint of fear in Beca’s eyes as she started the car and they sped off.

“To where I was turned. It’s not the same as it used to be, they knocked down the house that used to be there and turned it into an industrial space. It’s mostly abandoned now, perfect place for Other Realm creatures to hide out or to hide a hostage.” Beca kept her eyes on the road as her hands tightened around the steering wheel, nostrils flaring as images from her past flashed in her mind.

“Do you think John will still be there or will Gail have warned him off?” Stacie asked, trying to take Beca’s mind off what had happened in the past. She’s never seen the vampire look this pale, this distressed.

“I don’t know.” Beca bit her lip, sighing heavily, “He’s a mean son of bitch, I don’t want to have to face him today.” Beca shook her head, “I don’t ever want to have to face him again quite honestly…”

“I can only imagine.” Aubrey sighed softly, “I’ve only ever read about the things he’s done and he scares the crap out of me, but I can’t imagine actually having to live it.”

Beca said nothing as she screeched into the industrial estate, quickly clambering out of the car with the rest of the team on her tail.

“Over here.” She mumbled, running a hand through her hair as she marched towards an abandoned building, hands clenching and unclenching as she tried to quell the stomach churning anxiety that threatened to overwhelm her.

Beca pushed the door open, Hunter whistling as he started to glow brightly and moved from Stacie’s shoulder to hover near Beca who was in the lead.

“Brace yourselves, god knows what’s waiting for us in here.” Beca turned briefly to look at Stacie and Aubrey who nodded, Stacie’s hands flexed as Aubrey pulled a stake from her belt.

The corridors were narrow and maze like as Beca followed the tug inside her that pulled her ever closer to the woman she loved. Her mouth was dry as they grew nearer, Beca not stopping for a moment until they reached a door that had been chained shut. Aubrey stepped forward and made short work of breaking the padlock off the chain and pulling it free. Grabbing the handle tight Aubrey paused and looked to make sure Stacie and Beca were ready. The pair nodded, Beca knowing that if her heart could beat it would probably be breaking her chest right now. She swallowed hard as Aubrey tugged hard on the handle, the door swinging open and Beca stepping in cautiously, claws and fangs bared, her whole body tense.

“Chlo?” She called, every muscle in her body tensed and ready for a fight.

“Chloe?” Stacie looked around as her and Aubrey were close behind.

Beca heard a low growl, but before she could react something shot past her and barrelled into Stacie, knocking her to the floor before anyone could do anything about it. Stacie tried to wrestle it off her but before she could properly register what was happening she felt a sharp set of fangs sink deep into the side of her neck. She cried out in pain, still trying to fight the weight on top of her but finding it hard to focus on anything but the searing pain in her neck. Beca pulled it off of her and Stacie gasped in relief as Aubrey pulled her into her arms.

“Chloe! Chloe, it’s us, you’re okay!” Beca gripped Chloe tight as the redhead writhed to try and free herself.

Stacie’s hand pressed to the wound on her neck, breath coming in short gasps as she tried to process what was happening. Aubrey helped her girlfriend to her feet as she stared at her childhood friend in shock, shaking a little as she saw the frenzied, wide-eyed look on Chloe’s face.

“I’m not falling for this again!” Chloe spat, pupils dilating as Stacie’s blood coated her tongue, more like a rabid animal than the gentle ray of sunshine that they knew, “I’m not letting you do this to me, I’m gonna kill you and then I’m gonna kill John, and then I’m gonna find and kill that cheap copy!”

“Chloe, it’s us, we’re here.” Aubrey gently pushed Stacie behind her, stepping towards her struggling friend with the intention of trying to calm her down. God only knew what Chloe had been through in the last four days, what horrors Gail and John had inflicted on her whilst she’d been here. She was going to need as much kindness and love and patience they had.

Chloe growled furiously as she struggled against Beca, hand swiping out at Aubrey, claws sinking into her cheek as the sheer force of the blow knocked Aubrey off balance. The blonde raised a shaking hand to her cheek as Stacie caught her before she could hit the ground, looking at Chloe with a mix of shock and horror.

“Get out.” Beca grunted with the effort of trying to keep Chloe restrained long enough to get Stacie and Aubrey to safety, “Both of you. Wait outside.”

“Beca…” Stacie started. She didn’t want to leave Chloe now, seeing her friend in so much distress and pain, seeing the bruises and cuts that seemed to cover every inch of her, it made her heart break.

“This is not a negotiation!” Beca yelled, her grip starting to slip as Chloe sank her claw like nails into the short brunette’s arm, Beca hissing in pain as she glared at Stacie and Aubrey, “Get out of here right now, shut that door, and do not come back in no matter what. GO!”

Aubrey gently tugged on Stacie’s arm, pulling her towards the door. They threw one last desperate look at Chloe and Beca before leaving them alone. Aubrey leant against Stacie as they sank to the floor just outside the closed door.

“That’s not Chloe.” Aubrey shook her head as she winced, touching the scratches on her cheek again, “It’s not, Gail has to be holding her somewhere else.”

“Bree, honey.” Stacie turned to her girlfriend with a soft sympathetic smile, holding her hand over her cheek as the cuts started to close, “It is… soul-masking is such complicated and draining magic, even for someone like Gail. It’s just not feasible for her to be able to apply it to more than one entity.”

“But if that’s Chloe…” A tear slipped down Aubrey’s cheek as she bit her lip, “What if… what if we can’t get her back? What if we have to…” Aubrey trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought, “I should have listened to Beca, this is all my fault.”

“Oh honey.” Stacie finished healing the cuts on Aubrey’s cheek as she wiped the tear away with her thumb, “This isn’t your fault, there’s no way you could have known about any of this, no way you could’ve predicted things would turn out like this.”

“Yes it is, I should’ve listened to Beca from the off, I should’ve trusted her on this.” Aubrey shook her head, letting it drop onto Stacie’s shoulder as her tears poured faster.

Stacie wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and pulled her in as close as she could manage, shushing her softly as she stroked her hair. She didn’t know what to say to make this any better, to convince Aubrey that none of this was in her control, that she wasn’t to blame for any of this. All she could was hold whilst they waited for all of this to be over.

As the door shut behind Stacie and Aubrey, Beca let go of Chloe who spun on her heel, fangs bared as she launched herself at Beca, knocking the short brunette to the floor with a snarl, hands pinned next to her head as she looked down at her, wild-eyed.

“Chloe, it’s okay.” Beca winced a little as Chloe’s claw like nails dug into her wrists, “I know what it’s like to be caught in Gail’s web, you’re okay now. I’m here.” She smiled softly, tone calmer and gentler than it had been in days.

“No you’re not, you think I’m stupid? I’m not giving up, you get that? You don’t get to win, I won’t let you do this to me anymore!” Chloe spat, rabid looking as she seemed to not register the pain from her injuries anymore.

“Gail’s gone baby, I promise. I’m here, I’m gonna take you home.” Beca didn’t struggle against Chloe, knowing that any act of aggression on her part wouldn’t help to convince Chloe that she wasn’t the witch in disguise.

“Beca doesn’t know I’m here, she’s bought that cheap copy you sent!” Chloe snarled, fangs bared as she got ready to rip Gail’s throat out.

“Remember what I said to you the night I asked you to marry me?” Beca’s expression softened as she smiled at Chloe. She knew this was the one thing Gail hadn’t been able to replicate, that she hadn’t known about. Maybe this would be the thing that got through to Chloe.

“Chloe, I spent two hundred years avoiding having a meaningful relationship with anyone because I was afraid of getting hurt when I lost them. I have been alone for most of my life and I thought I was okay with that. But then I met you, and you turned my life on its head. I felt myself wanting to be around people again. No, not people, you. You are the literal embodiment of sunshine, which is ironic because y’know, vampires are supposed to avoid the sun…”

Tears began to slip down Beca’s cheeks as she repeated the words she had spoken the night they had gotten engaged, the night before everything had gone so wrong. Chloe’s growl became softer as she faltered a little. How did Gail know what Beca had said? She’d been surprised by the engagement when she’s kidnapped Chloe, so how… it had to be some kind of trick. Didn’t it?

“You reminded me what it was like to have someone in my corner, reminded me what it was like to have a family. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you Chlo, and I know you say all the time that you want to spend eternity with me but… I was wondering if you wanted to make it official? I can’t give you kids, or growing old together, or anything remotely resembling a normal life, but I can give you this: a promise that you’re the only person I want to spend my life with, however long that might be; a commitment to spend forever and a day showing you just how much I love you. Chloe Beale, love of my life, will you marry me?”

Beca looked up at Chloe, desperately hoping that this would break through the terror that the redhead was feeling, that this would her back to Beca. Chloe felt her stomach clench as she looked down at Beca, grip on her wrists loosening slightly. How… how did Gail know word for word what Beca had said to her that night? It wasn’t possible…

“Do you remember what you said back?” Beca whispered, tears flowing freely as her eyes all but begged Chloe to come back to her.

“I-I don’t need a ring, or a ceremony, or a fancy white dress to know that we’re going to be together forever.” Chloe whispered, tears starting to trickle down her own cheeks, “I don’t need kids, I don’t need to grow old, I don’t want a normal life. I’m gonna spend the rest of my life loving you, nothing will ever be able to change that. But the idea of standing up in front of our friends, of doing something… human like getting married? I love that. I love you. Of course I’ll marry you.”

There was a pause as they just looked at each other for a moment, tears flowing. Chloe was still pinning Beca to the ground as her expression softened, shaking a little as her grip loosened more, licking her dry lips.

“Beca? Is that really you?” Chloe whispered, hardly daring to believe it.

“Yeah.” Beca nodded, sniffing a little as she smiled warmly at Chloe, “I’m here Chlo. You’re okay now.”

Chloe said nothing as she go of Beca’s wrists, slumping forward as she sobbed heavily in relief. Beca really was here, she was going to be okay. She was going home. Beca was here and she could go home. The brunette just wrapped her arms tightly around Chloe, holding her as close as she could, shushing her gently as she pressed gentle kisses into her hair.

“I’ve got you Chloe, you’re okay now. I won’t _ever_ let her hurt you again.” Beca mumbled into her hair, letting Chloe weep for as long as she needed to.

When her sobs finally subsided Chloe pulled back shaking her head a little, rolling off Beca as she lay next to her on the filthy floor, “I’m sorry…” She whispered, “I didn’t- Gail she-”

Beca rolled onto her side, frowning softly as she gently took one of Chloe’s hands in hers, “You have nothing to apologise for Chlo. I know what it’s like when Gail gets in your head, what she does to get in there. It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.” Chloe shook her head again, “I- I killed someone Beca. I didn’t want to, but Gail, she looked like you, she sounded like you… I was in so much pain, I couldn’t think and the smell got in my nose and I just… I…”

“Oh baby…” Beca ran a hand through Chloe’s hair as she pressed her forehead to Chloe’s temple, “Listen to me. It wasn’t your fault, it’s this thing inside you. And Gail knows just how to exploit it. I promise you, it’s okay. It’s gonna be okay. This changes nothing, it doesn’t change the way I feel about you, it doesn’t change how incredible you are, it doesn’t change how much I love you.”

“I’m so sorry.” Chloe was sobbing again, Beca curling into her side as she shushed her again and kissed her cheek softly.

“It’s okay. It’s all okay now. I’ve got you.” Beca whispered, heart breaking with every sob. She should have thought to look here sooner, should’ve pushed harder to come and find Chloe before now.

Chloe’s crying eventually quietened as she sniffed, “Oh god… Stacie… Aubrey…” Realisation hit her like a brick as she mentally relived the last few moments, “Where are they, are they okay? Did I hurt them?” Her eyes were bright with fear as she sat up sharply, wincing as her abdomen throbbed from a wound that hadn’t healed properly.

“They’re okay, they’re just outside.” Beca reassured her as she got to her feet, holding her hand out for Chloe, “C’mon, you wanna go and see them?”

Chloe nodded as she took Beca’s hand tentatively, leaning heavily on her as the adrenaline left her system and the strength left her body. Beca wrapped Chloe’s arm around her shoulders, her free arm around her waist as she helped her limp out of the room and to freedom.

Aubrey and Stacie looked up as the door opened, scrambling to their feet to help Beca with Chloe, relieved smiles on their faces. Aubrey wound Chloe’s other arm around her shoulder to support her from the other side as Stacie busied herself by holding her hands over the worst of Chloe’s injuries as they walked.

“I’m sorry…” Chloe whispered to Aubrey and Stacie as they walked to the car at a pace that the redhead could manage.

“There’s no apology needed.” Aubrey smiled softly as she gave Chloe’s hand a gentle squeeze, “We’re just relieved to have you back, nothing else matters.” Stacie nodded emphatically, as she held her hand over a deep cut on the side of the redhead’s neck.

Once they reached the car, Beca and Aubrey helped Chloe climb into the backseat, Beca getting in after as Chloe rested her head in her lap, her arms wrapped tightly around the love of her life, never intending to let her go again. The redhead was exhausted and in shock that this was actually over, that she could actually go home, yet try as she might she couldn’t fall asleep in Beca’s arms, too afraid that if she closed her eyes for even half a second that she’d wake up to find this was all a dream.

“We’ll go straight to your place.” Aubrey smiled softly at the pair in the backseat through the rear view mirror, “Stace and I can go home whenever without having to worry about the sunrise, the last thing you two need to worry about is a time limit.”

Beca just nodded gratefully, giving Aubrey a small smile as she stroked Chloe’s hair. Stacie put her hand over Aubrey’s as it rested on the gear stick and gave it a soft squeeze. It was going to be okay, Chloe was back where she belonged.

* * *

Once back in Beca and Chloe’s apartment, Beca helped Chloe lie down on the couch so that Stacie could look her over properly. Beca kissed Chloe’s forehead gently, the redhead smiling softly.

“I’m gonna help Aubrey make the tea okay? I’m not going far, and Stacie’s going to be right here with you alright?” Beca smiled warmly, Chloe just nodding softly with a small smile as Stacie propped her head up with a cushion.

Stacie subtly passed Beca a small bottle, leaning in to whisper in her ear, “It’s a sleeping draught, it’s not dangerous but it will knock her out for the night. She needs to rest.”

Beca nodded a little as she joined Aubrey in the kitchen. There was an awkward pause for a moment as the two of them busied themselves making up four mugs of tea.

“I’m sorry…” Beca mumbled, not looking at Aubrey as she dropped the tea bags into the mugs, “I shouldn’t have blamed you. You uh… you made the logical call and that’s why you’re in charge. I’d have gone in all guns blazing and I could have gotten all of us seriously hurt at best.”

“It’s okay.” Aubrey gave Beca a small smile as she nudged Beca affectionately with her shoulder, “For the record, I should have listened to you the first time you came to me about this, I know that. But I want you to know, it’s got nothing to do with you being a vampire Beca. I don’t care about that, not anymore. You’re family now. I need to listen to my instincts better, to all of you better, I just… I worry about making the wrong call, about getting someone hurt or worse and… I let it get in the way of what my gut tells me.”

“Aubrey, I’ve known so many vampire hunters over the years and none of them hold a candle to you.” Beca turned her head to smile at Aubrey, a light blush on her cheek as she complimented the blonde, “Trust your gut Posen. The rest of us do.”

Chloe waited until Beca was out of earshot before she turned her head to look at Stacie, “I really am sorry…” She whispered as Stacie smiled softly, “Gail she… she’d turned into you, into all three of you at once, and I just… when John left the chains slack I took a chance. I couldn’t let her win.”

“It’s okay, I’m okay.” Stacie reassured her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze, “Nothing a little magic couldn’t fix.”

“Can you… is there a way too..” Chloe bit her lip, not knowing how to ask this question, how to broach the subject, “My… my soul… can you check that its… okay?”

Stacie frowned softly as realisation hit her, “You still have…? Of course, that makes sense actually, I always wondered why you didn’t have the same bloodlust as other vamps…” She mused, “Did Gail… did she… nevermind.” Stacie shook her head, “The details aren’t important right now. There’s a really simple thing I can do, it’s not gonna hurt I promise.”

“You promise? Because Gail… I’ve never known pain like that…” Chloe felt tears prick at the corner of her eyes as she looked away from Stacie.

“I promise. It’s like when I do the healing spell, you’ll feel nothing.” Stacie gave Chloe’s hand a gentle squeeze again before she knelt next to her, hands hovering an inch or so above Chloe as they glowed green. A golden light appeared to glimmer over Chloe’s skin as Stacie smiled softly, “It’s a little duller than I’d expect but… it’s intact, it’s, for want of a much better word, pure.”

“You’re sure?” Chloe asked tearfully, relief starting to wash over her, “I’m not… evil?”

“God no.” Stacie shook her head, “It’s absolutely fine. A little dinged and torn maybe, but nothing terrifying. There is no possible way that you could be evil Chlo, trust me.”

“Thank you…” Chloe whispered as Beca and Aubrey rejoined them, “All of you…”

“There’s no need to thank us.” Beca smiled softly as she helped Chloe drink the sleep draught infused tea, “There’s no way we’d leave you behind.”

“I’m so glad you saw through it.” Chloe nuzzled into Beca’s hand with a soft smile on her face.

“How could we not?” Aubrey grinned, hand resting on Chloe’s calf as she sat on the arm of the sofa, “There’s no-one in the world like you.”

“I love you guys.” Chloe mumbled, the sleeping draught starting to take effect as her eyelids started to droop, “Thank you for coming to get me.”

“Always Chlo.” Beca kissed her forehead as she sat on the floor next to her head, “Get some sleep, we’ll be right here when you wake up.”

“Promise?” Chloe whispered, slipping into unconsciousness with a soft frown on her face.

“Promise.” Stacie nodded, Beca and Aubrey murmuring in agreement.

“We’ll always be here for you Chlo.” Beca kissed her forehead again.

Everything was going to be okay now. Chloe was home, she was safe at home with the people that loved her the most. It was okay now.


End file.
